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Updated: Aug 25, 2025

An In Vivo Method to Study Mouse Blood-Testis Barrier Integrity
Published on: December 2, 2018
Drug transport across the blood-testis barrier
Zhixiang Meng1, Yawei Liu1, Jian Zhou1
1Suzhou Dushu Lake Hospital (Dushu Lake Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University) Suzhou 215124, China.
Abstract:
The blood-testis barrier transfers nutrients to spermatogenic tubules to ensure the normal physiological function of the testes. It also restricts the "entry and exit" of biological macromolecules in the testicular lumen and provides a unique microenvironment for spermatogenesis. This makes the testes a safe place for some viruses and tumors, as immune factors cannot function and drugs fail to reach therapeutic concentrations in the testes. This review aimed to describe the factors regulating the structure and physiological function of the blood-testis barrier. By understanding therapeutic mechanisms of action, drugs can be developed to function in the testicles.
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